Hopper for slugs or caps



March 3, 1%36.

. E. H. BARKER HOPPER FOR SLUGS OR CAPS Filed Aug. 8, 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet l arch 3, 1936. E H BARKER HOPPER FOR SLUGS OR CAPS March 3, 1936. E. H. BARKER HOPPER FOR SLUGS OR CAPS Filed Aug 8, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 3, 1936.

E. H. BARKER HOPPER FOR SLUGS OR CAPS 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 8, 1931 arch 3, 1936. g BARKER HOPPER FOR SLUGS OR CAPS Filed Aug. 8, 1931 7 Sheet's Sheet 5 E. H. BARKER HOPPER FOR SLUGS OR C'APS Filed Aug. 8, 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Marc 3, 1936.

March 3, 1936.

E. H. BARKER HOPPER FOR SLUGS on CAPS Filed Aug. 8, 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet -7 Patented Mar. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOPPER FOR SLUGS R CAPS sylvania Application August 8, 1931. serial: No. 555.97%

2 Claims.

My invention relates to hoppers for slugs or caps, which are to be fed to presses or capping machines.

The main purpose of my invention is to construct a hopper into which the slugs or caps are placed, for selective positioning, registering and discharging to a position under a press head for an extrusion operation, or to a predetermined position in a tube capping machine.

A further purpose is to employ a hopper comprising a revolving disc or a conveyor having recesses within which slugs are carried into a guideway, along and down the guideway and then reversed in position to be presented to a press for extrusion of the slugs into tubes.

A further purpose is to use a hopper including a revolving disc which is recessed circumferentially and into which caps are fed, to be carried by gravity to a guideway for ultimate registration with the tubes.

A further purpose is to mount an angularly disposed hopper upon a press, the hopper having a revolving recessed plate into which the slugs sit in a selected position. The slugs are carried to the outside of the hopper, then angularly and vertically downwardly, then angularly inwardly, thereby reversing the position of the slug when it comes to registry under a mandrel on the head of a press.

A further purpose is to pick up caps from the under face of a pile of caps in a hopper, agitators mounted upon the disc to agitate them and selectively to displace, from those picked up, all caps that are not in the proper position.

A further purpose is to move the slugs through a path from which they will ultimately be picked up if they continue and to reject and displace all slugs moving along this path which are not in the proper position.

A further purpose is to select, position and present slugs to a press for an extrusion operation.

A further purpose is to seat caps in recesses within a rotating or revolving member, to continuously pick up caps from the recesses, and to carry and guide the caps to their points of delivery.

A further purpose is to supply an effective discriminating feed mechanism between a hopper and the chuck of a capping machine.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims.

I have elected to explain one form only of my invention with minor modifications, but show my hopper applied to different uses, selecting however, forms and applications that are practical and which well disclose the principles involved.

Describing in illustration, but not in limitation and referring to the drawings:

Figure 1' is. a sideelevation'of a press with my 5 improved hopper secured to it in position of use.

. Figure 2 is a front elevation of the structure seen in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a section taken on the 10 line 4,-4of Figure. 3.

Figure 5. is; a: sectional plan view taken on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 66 of Figure 5. 15 Figure 7 is a sectional plan view similar to Figure 5,, but showing a modification of the structure.

Figure 8- is a perspective view of a slug such as is carried from the hopper to the press for ex- 20 trusion purposes.

Figure 9- is'a side elevation of a completed tube pressed from the slug of Figure 8 and onto which tube a cap is placed.

Figure 10 is'a top plan View of a modified form 5 of hopper, with the cover removed.

Figure 11 is a section of the line ll-ll of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary section taken on the line I2-l2 of Figure 10. 30 Figure 13 is a top plan view of the structure seen in Figure 12'.

Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 12, but showing the cap in a different position.

Figure 15 is a section on the line 15-15 of Fig- 35 ure 13.

Figure 16 is a top plan view similar to Figure 10, but, showing a still further modification of the hopper and its associated parts.

Figure. 17 is a top plan view of another modi- 40 fied form of hopper.

Figure 18 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line l8-l8 of Figure 17.

Figure 19 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line l'9-I9 of Figure 17. 45

My hopper is primarily intended for the purpose. of feeding slugs, caps or the like to punch presses, capping machines or similar mechanisms.

The feeding of slugs of metal to a punch press for an extrusion operation, has. long been a 50 problem in the manufacture of collapsible tubes. Many attempts have been made to. accomplish a desirable result but these attempts have not proved wholly successful.

By-the use of my hopper, I find that slugs 55 can be placed in the hopper in large quantities and selected, one at a time, positioned properly, fed into a guideway upside down, subsequently reversed in position and presented to a press and finally brought to register with a mandrel on the lower portion of the press head, for extrusion of the slug into a collapsible tube.

I have also shown my hopper in position to feed caps to a capping device by which the caps make threaded engagement with a tube.

In the first form of application of my invention, Figures 1 and 5, I have shown a punch press 29 to which I mount a hopper 30 having a lid or cover 3| upon a bracket 32 supported by laterally extending arms 32' from the upper part of the press 29.

The bracket 32 is designed to support the hopper 30 in an angular position with respect to the press.

A disc 33, Figure 3 and 4, having a series of recesses or pockets 34 near its outer upper circumference is centrally mounted to rotate with a shaft 35.

I place a motor 36 upon a bed 31 of the bracket 32 from which driving connection is made to the shaft 35 through a shaft 38, clutch 39, worm 40 and worm wheel 4| keyed to a stud shaft 42 mounted in the base 43 of the hopper 30.

On the shaft 38, between the base 43 and a worm wheel casing 44 which houses the worm 40 and worm wheel 4|, I key a pinion 45 which meshes with gear 46 on the rotary disc shaft 35.

The hub 41 of base 43 supports the rotary disc 33 and forms an abutment for the gear 46. The upper surface of the base 43 is recessed at 48 to seat a downward extension 49 of a carrier plate 50 which, for purposes of easy manufacture is made separate from the disc 33 here supported on it.

It will clearly be seen in Figures 4 and 5 that the motor 36 will rotate the shaft 38 and, through the clutch 39 will rotate the worm 48. The latter engages worm wheel 4| upon shaft 42 driving pinion 45 and thus, gear 46, to cause rotation of the disc shaft 35.

A large number of slugs are placed in the hopper 38. Because the hopper is tilted with respect to the press 29, the slugs lie in the rear part 5| of the hopper 3|]. As the correspondingly tilted disc 33 rotates, slugs are taken from beneath the pile of slugs, one at a time, by reason of their engaging in the recesses in the disc. Agitators 52 may be used. As shown they are arranged on the rotary disc and carry slugs along with the disc and distribute the slugs over its surface. Though not essential I find that more slugs are received in the recesses in proper position when agitators are used than when they are not used.

As the slugs are carried nearly to the highest angular position 56 (Figure 4) in the hopper, they are raised slightly by an inclined lip projection 51 integral with a track or guideway 58 which fits within the circumferential groove 34' by which the recesses 34 are joined. As each slug enters a U-shaped guideway 58 the sides of the guideway support its flanges 53 laterally if it be right side up, i. e. lying on its larger face as in Figure 7. However if the flanges 53 be directed upwardly, so that the concave portion of the slug (Figure 8) is upward, the slug is not well supported by the sides of the guideway and falls out of the guideway into the bottom of the hopper due to the inclination of the bottom of the hopper (Figure 4). As the disc is rotated further the slugs right side up are pushed further up the incline 59. They are laterally held by the sides 60 of the guideway.

The problem of protecting a guideway or discharge channel from overfilling and jamming to the injury of the articles fed, and possibly of the driving or receiving mechanism, is a series one. I have met it by providing an angle in a Vertical plane within the feed path so that the articles fed are not directly jammed one against the other, but have a tendency, with excessive feeding (above the rate of continued advancement of the articles) to springout of line, and, therefore, to discharge from the guideway or feeding path the excess articles fed.

Obviously there need be no sharp angle to this. The change of direction in the vertical plane may even be gradual, but the ultimate angular change of direction at or about the point 51, according to my experiments, should be of the order of ten or fifteen degrees. This permits fair driving pressure through the articles and at the same time allows the excess articles fed to be snapped out without damage.

It will be seen that in its broader aspects the benefit of this change of direction is independent of the character of positive feed by which the articles are advanced as well as of the character of guideway provided only that the guideway offers space for the articles to snap out of position.

I prefer to locate the change of direction near enough to the hopper so that the articles which are forced out of line fall back into the hopper.

A division plate 6| is placed at the entrance to the guideway 58 to prevent the slugs from getting misplaced in the hopper,

The guideway 58 comprises a channel member 62, having its top 63 fully open for a short distance, to a point 64, from this point outwardly the guideway 58 is partially covered, by inwardly projecting flange plates 65 until the guideway reaches the press.

By providing a space 60 in the top of the guideway between the flange plates 65 I allow for inspection of and easy removal of slugs that do not conform to the desired shape for use in an extrusion operation.

The flanges 65 also provide enclosure and a support for the slugs when they are travelling downwardly after they have been reversed from their original position in guideway 58 and are being moved by gravity to register at the press.

After the slugs are delivered into the guideway 58 they are automatically positioned one against the other and as another slug is fed into the guideway 58 the previously admitted slug will be pushed outwardly until it reaches a right angle turn 66 in the guideway outside the hopper 30.

The slugs are conveniently turned upside down for use at the press. In the illustration this is done as follows:

When the slugs reach the turn 66 in the guideway 58 they are carried downwardly by gravity in the sloping portion 6! of the guideway, then vertically downward at 63 for a short distance, after which the guideway is turned inwardly and angularly at 69 to cause the slugs 54 to be delivered to the end of the guideway adjacent an arm II! on a bed of the press.

The vertical portion 68 of the guideway is divided into two sections which are overlapped as shown at 58' in Figure 1. 69 of the guideway is reversed in position, as compared with the upper section, causing the flange 65 to be positioned on the opposite side of the guideway, from that shown above the overlapped portion 58.

The lower section I In Figure 7, I have shown a modified form of hopper 30' in which I provide a revolving disc 33' having recesses 34 into which slugs settle from beneath a pile in the lower rear end of the hopper. The slugs 54 are carried upwardly in the revolving disc and then downwardly a short distance in this form until they enter into a compartment '16 adjacent the outlet opening I7 between the hopper wall and a partition 6|.

A guideway 58 is mounted inside the hopper 39 and its inner end I8 projects into the circumferential recess 34' of the disc, allowing the approaching slugs that have assumed their proper position in the hopper to travel into the guideway 58 but causing slugs that approach the guideway 58 in an inverted position to be dislodged from the recesses and to fall back into the bottom of the hopper, due to' engagement with end I9 of the division wall 6| above the disc 33. The end I9 extends above and close to the disc, so as to deflect any slug which is in inverted position.

The guideway is secured to the hopper by any suitable fastening, such as a bracket 89, and extends diagonally outwardly and downwardly to allow the slugs to fall by gravity and register at a required position near a press or other operating mechanism by which an extruded article is formed. In all other respects the form shown in Figures '7 and 8 is identical with that shown in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive. I have therefore given the parts corresponding reference characters.

I have shown in Figure 8 a preferred shape of slug 54 that can be used to advantage in the manufacture of extruded tubes, and which can be selected and positioned by my hopper construction and carried to position at a'press for an extrusion operation. This is the slug illustrated in Figure 8. It will be clearly understood that other shapes of slugs can be used in my hopper. This, of course, will be at the option of the user.

In Figure 9 I have illustrated a tube 8| after the extrusion operation has taken place, and in condition for cap reception.

In Figures 10 and 11 inclusive, I have shown a hopper embodying the features of my invention applied to a capping machine for tubes.

The hopper 36 is angularly mounted with respect to and above the supporting structure of a capping machine 82. The supporting structure shown comprises a vertical support 83 of angle irons 84 and 85, to which, at the upper end, is bolted or otherwise secured, an angularly disposed supporting base 86 for the hopper 30 A lateral supporting base 81 is also extended from the vertical support 83 to hold an electric motor 88 from which driving connection is made to a revolving disc 33 placed in the bottom of the hopper 39 It is driven through a motor shaft 89 on which is keyed a worm 99. This worm makes driving connection with a worm gear 9! fastened upon one end of a shaft 92. The opposite end 93 of the shaft 92 is keyed or otherwise fastened to the revolving disc 33.

A base 94 of the hopper 39 supports the revolving disc 33 and the diagonal bracket 83 carries the hopper. The worm gear is situated below the bracket 83 and a recess 95 in the bracket 83 provides a housing for the worm 99. A housing or cover 96 is placed about the worm gear 9| by means of clips 97 suspended from the hopper 30 and from the diagonal bracket 83.

The revolving disc illustrated in the hopper in Figures 10 to 16 inclusive, is the same as that shown in the previously described figures, with the added difference of a selecting device, with which any caps that find their way into the recesses in the revolving: disc: in an improper position will be dislodged before they are allowed to enter the guideway running to the capping machine. I have, therefore, given the same parts corresponding reference characters.

This selecting device comprises a hinged arm 98 which, when in its operating position, is extended inwardly towards the center of the hopper, and carries a depending coiled spring 99 whose lower end is secured to a selecting finger I99. The outer end lIl'I of the finger I99 is curved downwardly in order to be in close proximity to the caps that are being carried circumferentially in the recesses of the revolving disc 33.

Those caps which find their way into recesses in the revolving disc in their proper cap positions, as shown in Figure 15, will not be dislodged from the recesses; but if a cap should find its way into the recess in an inverted position, as shown in Figure 14, it will be clearly seen that the downwardly curved portion Il of the selecting finger I00 will raise the misplaced cap from the recess and the cap will fall back on the pile of caps in the hopper.

The spring 99 provides enough resilience to the selector to prevent any jamming of the caps beneath the selector or against the revolving disc.

In Figure 16 I have shown a variation of the hopper of Figures to 15 inclusive whereby the inner end of the guideway is adjacent the selector, and in which the portion of the guideway that projects into the hopper is horizontally tangent to the oircumferentially recessed portion of the revolving disc.

The guideway also extends horizontally some distance outside the hopper as in Figure 16 to the right angle turn 66, after which the guideway is extended to the capping machine as before described.

I have found the different forms of hoppers illustrated in the drawings to be very useful and efficient in operation.

Figures 17, 18 and 19 have been inserted for the purpose of showing that the path of said slugs or caps to a guideway need not be a circular path or if itbe, need not be produced by a rotation of a disc. In these figures a belt is used to carry the slugs 0r caps from the underside of the mass of discs or caps diagonally upwardly to a guideway into which they are delivered by operation of the same general laws as those applied in other forms.

The belt I 24 is placed below the hopper I25. The hopper I25 is longitudinally slotted at I26 and the belt I24 carrying recessed links I 21 is carried about pulleys I28 and I29 which are driven in any desired manner.

The above mentioned hopper is mounted diagonally with respect to a press as in the previously described forms and as the slugs or other objects, when placed in the hopper naturally fall toward the forward portion I30 of the hopper, the movement of the belt or conveyor I24 will pick up the objects in the hopper and carry them to a point of selection or discharge into a guideway as described before. As the hopper is the same in all other respects I have given the corresponding parts, the same reference characters.

It will be evident that the lifting of the articles from their recesses in the hopper conveyor gives opportunity for removal of those which are in improper position and at the same time guides the articles which have been properly placed to a position from the hopper.

It will further be evident that the approach and discharge of the conveyor stretches at the two ends of the nearly vertical section from the same side of the section causes the articles conveyed to be turned upside down and delivered for extrusion in a position reversed from that in which they have been taken from the hopper. In effect the stretches of guideway at the top and bottom constitute the arms of a U whether the shape be such as to clear the U or not.

The illustration of the handling of slugs and caps has two things in mind. The first that both are connected with the tube: manufacturer and second that it is desirable to indicate that a considerable variety of articles can be handled by the means shown. These are therefore to be considered as illustrative only of a considerable range of articles to be removed from a hopper and delivered to a point of operation.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a feeding mechanism for duplicate articles, a positive feeding device supplying the articles at a given point, an upwardly sloping trough for receiving and upwardly and laterally guiding the articles from the feeding device at the given point and walls forming a guideway for delivering the articles beyond the delivery end of the trough, the floor of the trough having a reduction of slope at an intermediate point of its length and being upwardly open at the said intermediate point whereby excessive pressure at the said intermediate point is adapted to be relieved by upward discharge of articles at the said intermediate point.

2. A hopper having stationary side Walls and a rotatable bottom inclined to the horizontal, there being in the bottom a continuous annular groove having enlargements to receive articles to be fed by the hopper, in combination with a guideway extending into the hopper near its upper end, a tongue on the end of the guideway extending into the groove and Walls forming an upwardly directed hump between the tongue and the guideway, whereby direct push of an article removed from the groove by the tongue against an article in the guideway is prevented and, when the guideway is full, articles removed by the tongue are rejected at the hump.

EDWIN H. BARKER. 

